Victorian Current Acts Victorian Current Acts(1) This section applies if—
(a) a claimant serves a payment claim on a respondent; and
(b) the respondent provides a payment schedule to the claimant—
(i) within the time required by the relevant construction contract; or
(ii) within 10 business days after the payment claim is served—
whichever time expires earlier; and
(c) the payment schedule indicates a scheduled amount that the respondent proposes to pay to the claimant; and
(d) the respondent fails to pay the whole or any part of the scheduled amount to the claimant on or before the due date for the progress payment to which the payment claim relates.
(2) In those circumstances, the claimant—
S. 17(2)(a) substituted by No. 42/2006 s. 19(1).
(a) may—
(i) recover the unpaid portion of the scheduled amount from the respondent, as a debt due to the claimant, in any court of competent jurisdiction; or
(ii) make an adjudication application under section 18(1)(a)(ii) in relation to the payment claim; and
(b) may serve notice on the respondent of the claimant's intention to suspend—
(i) carrying out construction work under the construction contract; or
(ii) supplying related goods and services under the construction contract.
(3) A notice referred to in subsection (2)(b) must state that it is made under this Act.
S. 17(4) substituted by No. 42/2006 s. 19(2).
(4) If the claimant commences proceedings under subsection (2)(a)(i) to recover the unpaid portion of the scheduled amount from the respondent as a debt—
(a) judgment in favour of the claimant is not to be given unless the court is satisfied of the existence of the circumstances referred to in subsection (1); and
(b) the respondent is not, in those proceedings, entitled—
(i) to bring any cross-claim against the claimant; or
(ii) to raise any defence in relation to matters arising under the construction contract.
Division 2—Adjudication of disputes